West Cecil Health Center To Celebrate National Health Center Week

CONOWINGO, Md. (July 18, 2018)— West Cecil Health Center (WCHC) is hosting a variety of community events in honor of National Health Center Week (NHCW) on August 13 – 18, 2018. These events are part of a national campaign during the week to raise awareness about the mission and accomplishments of America’s health centers and the dedicated staff who bring health care to the medically underserved.

WCHC Health Center Week Schedule:

• Monday, August 13: Health Screenings & Education Sessions Day: free blood pressure screenings and free education sessions for diabetes, hypertension and smoking cessation available at WCHC’s Conowingo and Havre de Grace locations. Monday is also “Honoring Health Center Heroes Day” – patients are invited to share their WCHC experience by nominating a WCHC employee.
• Tuesday, August 14: Public Housing Health Centers Day: local housing agencies are invited to visit any WCHC location for a tour and leadership meet and greet.
• Wednesday, August 15: Healthcare for the Homeless Day: local homeless organizations are invited to visit any WCHC location for a tour and leadership meet and greet.
• Thursday, August 16: Agricultural Worker Health Day: local farmers are invited to visit any WCHC location for a tour and leadership meet and greet.
• Friday, August 17: Patient Appreciation Day: Dental Screenings: Patients are invited to visit WCHC’s Havre de Grace location for free dental screenings between 8:30 a.m. – noon. Spaces are limited, so please contact WCHC to schedule in advance. Community Blood Drive: WCHC’s Conowingo and Perryville sites will host a blood drive (open to the community, patients and staff) for the opportunity to provide a life-saving gift. Conowingo drive is 1:30 – 4 p.m.; Perryville is 9 – 11:30 a.m.
• Saturday, August 18: Children’s Health Day: Starting Monday, August 13 - Saturday, August 18, WCHC will host a “Coloring Contest” at all sites. Coloring pages will be available for anyone up to age 13 to enter to win a prize. Coloring pages will be displayed in the health centers during the month of August in recognition of Health Center Week. Pick up and return your coloring page at any registration desk for entry.

WCHC is part of a nationwide network of health centers that serve more than 27 million Americans. Health centers have compiled a significant record of success that includes:

• Producing $24 billion in annual health system savings;
• Reducing unnecessary hospitalizations and unnecessary visits to the emergency room;
• Treating patients for a fraction of the average cost of one emergency room visit;
• Maintaining patient satisfaction levels of nearly 100 percent;
• Serving more than one in six Medicaid beneficiaries for less than two percent of the national Medicaid budget;
• Lowering the cost of children’s primary care by approximately 35 percent.

The heroes who work at health centers and help make affordable health care possible for people in need are at the center of this year’s NHCW. More than 205,000 people work at health centers in positions that include clinicians, nurses, pharmacists, social workers, dentists and dental hygienists, behavioral health specialists and much more. Working together, these health care heroes produce innovative solutions to the most pressing health care issues in their communities. They reach beyond the walls of conventional medicine to address the factors that may cause sickness, such as lack of nutrition, mental illness, homelessness and substance use disorders. It is their work that has helped reduce health care costs and reduce chronic disease, generating a record of success and along with it a long tradition of bipartisan support in Congress.

To learn more about WCHC, call 410.378.9696, “like” West Cecil Health Center on Facebook or visit westcecilhealth.org. You can also follow the National Health Center Week conversation using #NHCW18 on Twitter.

About West Cecil Health Center
Founded in 2008, West Cecil Health Center (WCHC) is a nonprofit Federally Qualified Health Center providing accessible, affordable, high quality health care to underserved communities in the surrounding area. Through collaboration with community partners such as local hospitals and universities, WCHC’s mission is to increase access to comprehensive primary and preventive health care and improve the health care status of underserved, underinsured and non-insured members of the communities we serve. Services include primary care, behavioral health, gynecology and dental. For more information, call 410-378-9696 or visit www.westcecilhealth.org.